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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / February 2008UTI's in Cats
Our cat Maxwell (aka: Maximus or Maximillion) hasn't been with us all that long. My friend offered him to us because one of her roommates was not treating Max very well and she gave the cat to us because she couldn't be home all the time to supervise. We gladly took him in. He is a "jolly" cat, LOL! He has grown on us very quickly! He is all lap cat. He is either by my feet (while I am at my desk or the kitchen table) rolling around or in my lap. While at the same time, he is very unobtrusive... he doesn't get under feet or run past my feet as I am walking through the house. In December I lost my job. Just a few days after the event, Max developed a UTI... We got him into the vet right away as soon as I noticed a problem. He was given anti-biotics and all seemed well. Just shy of a month later, I noticed Max trying to eliminate his bladder around the house again... OH NO!!! I got him off to the vets office without delay. I called them and explained our financial situation and they did the best they could to keep the bill down but the bill still came to just over $300.00 because they had to keep him over night. Then, this past Monday night... oops! Max let go of his bladder all over the blankets as we were sleeping. I was not so very happy with Max. On one hand, I feel so bad for him! He must be hurting or he wouldn't be doing this... But this is getting pretty frustrating. I had just washed all those blankets this past weekend for the same reason. But, he was still on anti-biotics from the last visit and (it had been three or four days that he had been on the anti-biotic). I called the vets office again and they said to bring him right in. They needed to see if he was still blocked. Of course he was. They said 95% blocked up again. They inform me that now that he is on a special diet once this is clears up (they could tell from the type of crystals that are in his urine) he should be OK. They did also tell me that some cats need to have surgery to have this problem taken care of. He is expected to be at the vets office for another couple of days at least... he has been there since the beginning of the week. At first they were trying not to catheterize him, but he could not pee on his own, his bladder was filling up and not being emptied. They feel that once the bladder shrinks down to normal again, if it remains that way for a couple of days he will be OK. I am honestly wondering if we should just have the surgery done. Now the good doctors want to save this cats life. This is the truth. Get this: they are not charging me for keeping him for all this time! Could a person ask for a better veterinarian? I don't care if we live across the state from this guy... I think will keep going to him. As it is now, they are one half hour to forty five minutes away from us. The doctor told me last night we were welcome to visit Max while he is there... but... a half hour to forty five minute drive? Gas is expensive these days!!! But I would like to go see him. I am thinking that what I will do is when I am back to work again I will send them some contributions. Or maybe, if they don't mind, I could just send them payments on the bill. I don't mind paying for all of this... Unless it finally gets way, way out of line. How much is realistic to spend on a cat? My neighbor took in a stray. She is on assistance and she has a friend who helped her get her cats UTI under control. I know there are ways to get money and finances for this sort of thing. But these veterinarians deserve a metal of honor. I am so grateful I can't even fathom it! You know, they have as much schooling to pay for as your average MD... They have tremendous expenses... they are paying for all that state of the art tools to diagnose and do right by our pets. It is a gift. I don't know why I am sharing this with you. No one need respond. I see some really nice people on this board and it seems like a nice way to get to know some new friends. Thanks for listening :-) > Our cat Maxwell (aka: Maximus or Maximillion) hasn't been with us all > that long. My friend offered him to us because one of her roommates [quoted text clipped - 82 lines] > > Thanks for listening :-) Hi, welcome to the group (or un-lurking as the case may be). First, I think a UTI (urinary tract infection) is not the same thing as a blockage of the urethra (which is what this sounds like since they mentioned "crystals"). I've hear of male cats who've had to have surgery to (simplistically) remove the penis and create an opening more like a female's. I really hope it doesn't come to that and that they can get rid of his problem through a change in diet. If you don't mind answering, I have a few questions for you (I'm interested because, for the first time in my life, I have two male cats along with my three females)... Do you feed Max canned or dry food? Which brand do you use? Have you tried a pet fountain to encourage him to drink more water? Hugs, CatNipped I feed a high quality dry cat food. The veterinarian gave me a prescription diet food that is made by Science Diet. Until the course of his treatment is complete, I will have to stick with Science Diet. I am not fond of Science Diet. I prefer Iams. Once the time comes I plan to check out Iams to see what they have to offer for cats with this issue. Of course, I will talk to the vet about it before I switch. I have never tried a fountain. I have never had a problem like this before. I will say that he does seem to drink a lot of water. I really do not want this to become a discussion of whether Iams or Science Diet is best. I would be interested in finding out what others experiences have been though. We have another male cat, Butterball. We have had other male cats in the past... No problems. I realize that just because problems have not surfaced in the past doesn't really mean anything. The friend who gave me the cat shortly before all of this came up has also offered to help with some of the expenses for Maxes care, but we shall see what happens. If you really want to prevent crystals switch to a canned diet. I use Wellness and add a little water to make it softer. ---MIKE--- >>In the White Mountains of New Hampshire >> (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') Do you brush your cats teeth then? I know... I know... I have heard the arguments for both canned food and dry food. If I switch over to canned food I would feel compelled to begin doing some serious research on mixing my own cat food... I would feel compelled to make home made food for my cats. I am sort of an "all or nothing" kind of person... I guess the thing that scares me about making my own cat food is the fear that I would, unknowingly, not be providing them some essential nutrients. > Do you brush your cats teeth then? It's a myth that dry food somehow cleans the cat's teeth and canned food is bad for their teeth. (I used to think that too). Cats do not have rotatory movements in their jaws. The purpose of their teeth is to chomp straight down on something. The only way to clean the cat's teeth is to brush them. Whether or not the teeth are going to decay is based mostly on genetics. I have five cats who all eat the same thing (and always have). For years, they ate only dry. Now, they eat mostly canned. Out of these five cats, one of them has required a dental three times (and lost a number of teeth due to periodontal disease in spite of this). Two of the senior cats have NEVER had dentals, and they still don't need them. My youngest cat (age 3) currently needs a dental. My second to youngest (age 7) had a dental about six months ago. She doesn't like canned food and eats dry food almost exclusively. It's a roll of the dice. But nutritionally speaking, cats are obligate carnivores. They need to eat meat. They are not supposed to be eating cereal (dry food). Another benefit of canned food is that the cats derive 90% of their water intake from the food. Cats who drink from the water bowl to compensate for the water not found in the dry food are often slightly dehydrated because they don't drink as much water as their bodies require. Some people speculate that an all dry food diet can even lead to kidney disease. >I know... I know... I have heard > the arguments for both canned food and dry food. If I switch over to > canned food I would feel compelled to begin doing some serious > research on mixing my own cat food... I would feel compelled to make > home made food for my cats. I am sort of an "all or nothing" kind of > person... There are websites that tell you how to make your own and specify what you need to include in the recipe, but if you are not so inclined, there are a number of good quality *human-grade* canned cat foods on the market. Wellness is great choice (and grain-free). Other canned foods advertise that they are free from byproducts, grains, antibiotics, etc. > I guess the thing that scares me about making my own cat food is the > fear that I would, unknowingly, not be providing them some essential > nutrients. If you follow the recipes on the website (someone else can supply the weblink- I don't know what it is), it should be fine. You can also supplement your cats with feline vitamins. It's very important that they have adequate taurine, as they can go blind without it. Good luck. Best regards, ---Cindy S. Are you suggesting that a prescription dry cat food is not enough? mc asked: >>Are you suggesting that a prescription >> dry cat food is not enough? YES!!!!!! ---MIKE--- >>In the White Mountains of New Hampshire >> (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') >I feed a high quality dry cat food. The veterinarian gave me a > prescription diet food that is made by Science Diet. Until the course [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Science Diet is best. I would be interested in finding out what others > experiences have been though. I've heard that it's better to feed them even a bit lower-quality canned diet since canned food is 70% water (which is the ratio of water in a cat's natural prey). I feed mine Fancy Feast (the pate varieties) and they *LOVE* it. I only pay $0.45 per can, so the cost is not prohibitive. Also, I trust Purina it was the least affected by the recent cat food recall. Mine also free feed on Science Diet dry, but since I have boys now I'm considering weaning them off of that altogether. > We have another male cat, Butterball. We have had other male cats in > the past... No problems. I realize that just because problems have not [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > also offered to help with some of the expenses for Maxes care, but we > shall see what happens. I'm so glad your vet is working with you on this - what a wonderful guy/gal! Hugs, CatNipped This forum has helped me to recall that quite a few years ago we were having some problems with a female cat of ours. This problem was that she had trouble eliminating her bowels - basically this manifested itself as her being constipated. After doing a bit of research I concluded that the dry Science Diet was to blame and my vet at that time finally decided to switch brands, too - some dry foods contain bone meal which can actually cause a cat to have problems. When the vet finally did surgery there was an inoperable tumor... But when we were going through all of this I was then considering going with a home made food, or at the very least a canned food. I do believe that even canned food has things in it that are less than satisfactory in the same way that people shouldn't be eating all the processed foods we eat. I believe that we would all be better off if we ate nothing but fruits and veggies, real meat... everything that the good Lord gave us. But we, as a society eat too much processed foods which leads to problems. I don't mean to be knocking canned food at all... I hope that is not how this sounds. I honestly don't know what is out there. I will try that Wellness food. The veterinarian that I go to now - he is well known. He has a better reputation around here than the veterinarian that always took care of all the animals at the local zoo. I had even tried him (the zoo vet) a few times, thinking he would be good with exotics and I was not satisfied with him at all. I didn't feel that he really truly cared. I brought up the issue of dry cat food versus canned food, and while I have not talked to the good doctor myself yet, the woman technician whom I spoke with told me it isn't and issue of dried cat food vs. canned cat food. It is about getting the PH in the urine to a correct level. I guess, if anyone has it, I would appreciate knowing the website address of where I could get more information on making my own food. Would anyone be willing to make recommendations? I will look into that as well :-) I don't think I would ever be comfortable feeding only my own home made food, but I would mix it with a canned food... Just to be sure we are getting all the nutrients, and then add vitamins as well... Sounds as though Max will be able to come home tomorrow. It will be really nice to have him home again :-) Thanks for all of your help and concern and notes :-) I am happy to report that Max came home today. He has been using his litter box effectively I am happy to report. The vet said to keep an eye on him this weekend. I would still be interested if anyone has that web address... Thanks ;-) >I am happy to report that Max came home today. He has been using his > litter box effectively I am happy to report. I'm so glad he's feeling better. > The vet said to keep an eye on him this weekend. > > I would still be interested if anyone has that web address... > > Thanks ;-) There are hundreds of sites about homemade cat food (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=homemade+cat+food&btnG=Search), I wouldn't know which one to trust. I've had cats all my life, all of them very healthy and happy about the food they ate. Purina (which was least effected by the cat food recall) has researchers whose job is life is to find the right formula for a cat's health - personally, I'd let them do their job and not try something that may not be the best for my cat. I would really worry about getting them the right amount of taurine and vitamins (and some vitamins are actually bad for cats. Hugs, CatNipped Thanks :-) I agree with you... I don't really dare to mess with the nutritional issues... But a little research might prove to be interesting... Thats it, too... I wouldn't know who to trust... But I am sure I will figure it out. THANKS ;-) mc > First, I think a UTI (urinary tract infection) is not the same thing as a > blockage of the urethra (which is what this sounds like since they > mentioned "crystals"). I had a long talk with my vet a couple weeks ago when our 3-year-old male cat Biddle had a blockage. He said that infections (UTI's) are rare in cats, and the more correct terminology is FLUTD -Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorder. The etiology isn't exactly known, but crystals form, a blockage occurs, the cat strains to pass urine, which results in irritation, more straining, more urgency, a vicious circle. No bacteria, no infection, so antibiotics are useless. After getting his bladder probed, upon which the vet got a stream of gritty crystal-laden urine, Biddle got a shot of diazepam, to relax him so he could urinate, and some Science Diet S/D. He is not to eat any dry food. I wonder if this attack was brought on by his possible consumption of dry kitten food - we recently acquired a kitten and Biddle is a food hog, and probably chowed down on rich kitten fare. Good luck with your cat. I have a friend who just went through this with his cat. The cat nearly died because of being blocked. My friend had no choice but to have the surgery done on his cat. The cat has recovered well from the surgery. But the vet told my friend that he should feed his cat prescription diet canned food from now on. I have another friend who's cat also was getting urinary infections regularly. Her vet recommended that the cat have the surgery. They did the surgery and the cat is doing well (about 3 years later) and has not had any recurring problems even though the vet said that the cat could still have problems. S.  Signature**Visit me and my cats at http://www.island-cats.com/ ** --- > Our cat Maxwell (aka: Maximus or Maximillion) hasn't been with us all > that long. My friend offered him to us because one of her roommates [quoted text clipped - 82 lines] > > Thanks for listening :-) |
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